Anyway, I arrive at the bus station at 6:28, almost frantic that I will have missed the bus. I leap from the cab before Jill even opens her door and run to the loading area. No bus for Berovo or Pehcevo - only one for Kochani. It is on its way out, and I have mere moments to decide whether or not to take it. I picture arriving in Kochani around 9 pm with no connecting bus and having to take an hour-long ride to Pehcevo alone, which would cost hundreds and hundreds of denari that I can't afford. I stand there as if helpless and watch the filthy bus lumber away.
As I walk into the equally filthy bus station with beggars swirling around me to seek out Jill, on her way to a large town, Prilep, for which busses are constantly departing, I feel glum. A vision of me hopping into my red Mustang in California and driving hundreds of miles on a whim pops into my head, and I have to grin at who much I have regressed in my mobility and autonomy being here. (Americans and Macedonians alike are asking me, Why do you do this to yourself?) I explain the situation to Jill, who invites me to Prilep. I decline on the grounds that I really do have to get home and feed my cats (not to mention get back to work) and the resulting trip from Prilep to Pehcevo the next day would be at least 6 hours, probably 7. I feel stuck, so I call a Peace Corps staff after hours on his cell phone, and he agrees to drive a nearby local landmark and pick me up to put me into a quiet hotel for the night. Again, thank God for my cell phone, and for Jill, who confirms with one of the lethargic, smoking women behind the counter the earliest two busses out of Skopje for Pehcevo the next morning.
I have the whole bottom floor of a guest house, with a kitchen, a bathroom, several warm bedrooms and a large living room. This is beyond anything I have ever had staying in Peace Corps-approved hotels in the past and am pleased but exhausted. Truly the nicest hotel (and cleanest, as if it were a museum) I have ever seen in Macedonia. I arrived around 7 pm unannounced, and they were ready for gosti, of course!! I watch a rerun of Melrose Place (in color, no less!) and fall fast asleep around 9 pm. My boyfriend Darko calls my mobile around 11:30 pm, but I can't come out of my slumber to move my arm from beneath the heavy blankets, let alone answer the phone. As much as it would be nice to hear his voice, I let it go to voice mail.
The next morning I rise early and make it to the bus station for the 7:30 am bus. Unfortunately, it ends up, like the one I came in on, being through Kamenica and Delcevo, adding another hour on to my trip. As we depart, I am prepared for listening to my Discman and having an uneventful trip, but... the bus breaks down in Kochani, only an hour from home. We wait for 40 or so minutes, until a combie (van) comes and takes us... through Kamenica and Delcevo, and two hours later, I stumble into my apartment and feed my lonely and hungry kitties.
Since when did it ever become so difficult to travel from place to place?? I remember a time in my life where, with my own car, I was able to go where I wanted and do as I pleased. Since joining the Peace Corps I have relinquished this privilege; however, it hurts because many people I work with have cars and can't relate to my situation! Doesn't exactly jibe with the Peace Corps' goals of having volunteers living at the same standard as the communities they serve. On the other hand, I could imagine the perceptions of locals if the only "poor" Americans in Macedonia started driving vehicles. And I do know some people here who don't have cars and have to take the busses, or cabs, if they can afford them. Having a car would be one more thing to worry about - gas, oil, maintenance, theft.
Maybe I should enjoy the only time in my life (hopefully) where I don't need to be in a hurry to "escape" a town and where I can try and enjoy the opposite freedom of not having all these financial worries. I suppose that is the optimistic way of looking at the situation. As much as I think "Oh no, not again" or "Can we crack a window on this thing?" or "Is the bus going to show up one of these days or not?" I am sure sometime I will be able to look back on it and laugh. After all, have any of YOU ridden a bus in the Balkans?? =-)